This option should provide version info to a user without starting the IDE.
The initial implementation of this should probably just return the simplest
amount of detail similar to the -version option on java.
I can imagine this could be extended to address a wide variety of details about
module versions etc...

I think more than anything else, I'd like to have this as a basic information
before I start the IDE (which might take 2 minutes). Also, I have a Solaris box
that I can (r)login to. I have an NB executable path and want to know the
version. I don't think everything about IDE could be known only after starting
the IDE. (Imagine what would happen if Java VM won't start unless you provided a
main class ;))

Detailed info about the IDE is always displayed on the console when you start it
when logging to console is enabled (default on in dev builds, off in release
builds). Suggest
--version: display quick summary to stderr a la TopLogging, such as
Product Version = NetBeans IDE Dev (Build 051028)
Operating System = Linux version 2.6.13-1.1532_FC4 running on i386
Java; VM; Vendor = 1.6.0-ea; Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM 1.6.0-ea-b57; Sun
Microsystems Inc.
Java Home = /space/jdk1.6.0-b57/jre
System Locale; Encod. = en_US (nb); UTF-8
IDE Install; User Dir = /space/nb/curr/platform6; /home/jglick/nbdev
and exit.
Optionally, also --showversion: like --version but do not exit afterwards.
BTW TopLogging's "IDE Install" should probably be modified to display
${netbeans.home}:${netbeans.dirs} rather than the current ${netbeans.home} only.
The About box already does this correctly. I will try to patch it.